Rotary mechanism



A. E. HORMAN.

ROTARY MECHANISM. APPLICATiON FILED MN. 23', 1920- Patented June 22 1920.

I 9433 @3313 ctozwc v w UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED E. HORMAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ROTARY MECHANISM.

Yorlccity, county of New York, State of New York, have invented certain ne and uset'illImprovements in Rotary l\lechanism otwhich the following is a specification.

B'lyinvention relates to rotary mechanism such as pumps and the like, and more particularly to rotary mechanisnr in which a rotor mounted in a casing and provided with a wing movable relatively to the body portionot the rotor to permit continuous engagement of the wing with the interior of the casing during the rotation of the rotor. One of the objects of the invention is to reduce the power required to move the rotor and to adapt the mechanism for use at higher speeds than have heretofore been p 'actical.

Another object is to provide a device of this cha acter raving a low starting torque.

A further object is to provide a construetion in which leakage past the rotor is efiec-.

tively prevented.

Other objects, features and advantages will appear more fully in the following detailed description and appended claims.

The accompanying d fawing, forming a part of this specification, illustrates a pump containing one embodiment of my invention.

In the drawing,

Figure 1 is a section ,taken on line 1-1 of Fig. 2. V

Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 22 o't Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line Fig. 4: is a detail view showing the rotor wing in elevation.

Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 41; and

Fig. (3 is a. view in haust valve.

Referring to the drawing, the rotor lis provided with shaft-like extensions 2 and 3 rotatable within bushings 4 and 5 respectively which are Sll])])()I 't0(l in extensions (3 and Tot the casing t; in which the rotor is inclosed. As shown in the drawing, the extension 3 of the rotor is formed on a diskite member 5) which is secured to the porelevation oi the ex 1 tlon ot the rotor carr in the extension 2 by 18 .pp1ication filed January 23. 1920.

Specification of Letters Patent-y Patented June 22, 1920.

Serial No. 353,494.

and a disk-like portion, it which is secured as by bolts 12 to said main portion and has the extension (3 integral therewith.

As will be seen by reference to Fig. l, the rotor is arranged ccccntrically within the casing, the cross section of the rotor at right angles to the axis of rotation being considerably less than that ol the interior ot the casing so as to provide a space ll between the periphery of the rotor and the inside of the casing. The periphery of the rotor, as shown, engages the interior wall of the casing at the upper lctt hand portion, referring to Fig. 2, so that the opening H between the cylindrical periphery of the body portion of the rotor and the substantially cylindrical interior ot the casing is of varying size between the inlet 15 and the outlet 16 of the casing. the body ol the rotor has mounted thereon a wing 15 which, as shown, is held retracted within a recess 16 of the rotor when the latter is at rest. The means shown for holding the wing in its retracted position comprises a helical compression spring 17 hearing on the rotor and on the underside of a suitable enlargement 18 on rod 19 projecting from the inner end of the body portion of the wing. The spring 17 tends to draw the wing inwardly of the body portion of the rotor and is arranged together with the rod 15) on its cnlargement 18 within a recess 20 in the body of the rotor. The said recess as shown is closed by a threaded closure 21 in the interior ot which the enlargement l8 is slidably mounted. \Vhen the rotor is at rest all of the parts thereof are arranged within the cylindrical periphery thereof as shown in solid lines in Fig. 2. The advantage of this constriu-tion is that when the pump is started there is no load thereon due to the engagement. of the wing with the outer wall of the casing or due to the movement by the wing 15 ot'the fluid, such as air or gas, which the device is intended to pump.

As the speed ot the rotor increases the centrifugal torce acting upon the wing 15 tends to move the latter into engagement with the peripheral wall ot the :asing and when the desired predetermined speed has been reached, the wing will engage and remain in engagement with the said wall so that at this speed and higher speeds the rotor, including the wing, will force suchv air or gas or fluid medium as has entered the space 14. out through outlet 16. During this ope 'ation the centrifugal force acting upon the wing 15 is partly counter-balanded by the spring 17 so that the latter tends to relieve the pressure of the wing 15 upon the interior or peripheral wall of the casing, thereby lessening the friction to be overcome in driving the pump and reducing the power required to move the rotor. By reason of this construction it is practical to drive the pump at a much greater speed than where the centrifugal force upon the wing is not counterbalanced or counteracted.

I preferably also construct the apparatus so that the pressure of the wing upon the wall of the using, due to centrifugal force, is relieved by the pressure of the compressed fluid. To this end the wing is reduced adjacent its outer end so as to form a central portion 23 having a. surface extending longitudinally of the blade and adapted to engage the walls of the casing, there being also formed surfaces 23' on both sides of the surface 23. The surfaces 23 extend longitudinally of the wing and are spaced in.

wardly of the inner surface of the peripheral wall of the casing when the wing is in engagement with the said wall. surfaces 23 are desirably arranged at right angles to the radius of the rotor passing through the center of the wing. \Vith this construction it will be seen that the compressed fluid will always have access to at least one of the surfaces 23' and will exert on said. surface a force tending to move the wing inwardly of the body of the rotor, thus relieving the pressure of the wing on the peripheral wall of the casingwithout moving the wingout of engagement with said wall when the rotor is moving above the desired minimum operative speed. The above advantage is obtained without any objectionable sacrifice of the strength of the wing.

In order to insure against the leakage back to the inlet 15 of fluid which. is being driven toward the outlet by the rotor I provide a large area of contact between the.

cylindrical body portion of the rotor and the interior of the casing. Referring to F .2, the upper left hand portion ofthe periphe'al wall of the interior of the casing is curved upon an are having the same radius as the body portion of the rotor, and the portion of said wall so curved is engaged throughout its entire extent bythe periphery of the rotor. As shown in the drawing, the body portion of the rotor is in engagement with the interior of the casing through; out an arc of amn'oxirnatoly ninety degrees. but it is to be understood that the extent of engagement may be varied to suit quiremcnts of each particular case. For reducing the friction between the body of the rotor and the interior of the casing I have provided an oil duct 2" by which oil may be The said i the refed as required to the contacting surfaces of the body portion of the rotor and the casin The oil not only serves to lubricate the contacting surfaces but also assists in maintaining a tight seal between the body portion of the rotor and the casing at the area in question.

In order to facilitate the positioning of the rotor in proper relation to the casing and also to provide for the adjustment of the rotor relatively to the casing in case of wear between the said parts, I have provided means whereby the rotor is mounted for adjustment toward or away from the peripheral inner wall of the casing. In the construction shown, the bushings 4 and 5 have their inner and outer surfaces eccentric with respect to each other sothat by rotation of the said bushings the rotor is movable transversely to its axis. I have secured to each bushing a member, such as the screw 2%, which projects through a slot 25, extending through the corresponding bearings 6 or 7 and permitting rotation of the said screws about the axis of the bushing. As shown each screw 24 passes through a cover piece 26 arranged over the slot 25 and a washer of copper or other suit able material is arranged between the head of the screw 24 and the member 26. lVhen the screw is drawn tight, it is evident that the bushing will be held firmly in position in its bearing in the casing. 4 In assembling the mechanism after thB'liO- tor has been placed within the cylinder, the rotor may be brought up into proper rela? tion to the peripheral wall of the casing sim: ply by movement of the screws 24 about the axis of the bushings. In case there should be wear between the body of the rotor'and the casing said parts may be brought into proper relation by simply loosening the screws, adjusting the rotor by means of the screws into enga ement with the casing and thereupon again fixing the screws so as to hold the bushing and the rotor in proper relation. p c

My invention also contemplates the construction of the wing 15 so that it will remain in close engagement with the end walls of the casing. To this end the wing is pr0- vided with supplementary end wings 30, one at each end of the wing 15*. These wings are movable relatively to the body of the wing 15 so as to be adapted to be maintained in engagement with theend walls of the casing and may be heldin engagement with said walls by any suitable means. In the col'lstruction shown the body portion of the wing is provided with l'iassagcsiil by means of which the air or other fluid which is being cinnpresscd by the pump is admitted to the backs of the supplement ary wings 30 and 31 lo 'icldin. rlv move the latter out 'ardly into engagement with the end walls of the casing.

For moving the bushings other suitable material.

As the portion of the supplementary wing 30 adjacent the outer ends thereof will have a path of movement longer than the inner portions of said wings for each rotation of the rotor, it will be seen that the wear ment toward the end walls the outer portion will move more rapidly than the inner portion, As. shown in Fig. t the upper flange-like portion 32 of each supplementary wing hasa curved upper and lower surface which fit between corresponding curved surfaces of the body of the rings, these surfaces being preferably curved on an are about a center located approximately in the axis of rotation of the rotor at a point in a line with the corresponding end of the wing. \Vith this construction the supplementary wings will be movable toward the endwalls of the casing at rates proportional to their distances from the axis of rotation of the rotor and accordingly proportional to the wear on said wings.

To prevent the escapement of the compressed fluid between the rotor extensions 2 and 3 and ti e bushings in which they are mounted, l have, as shown, formed the inner surfaces of the bushings with circular grooves or recesses 33 containing a sealing medium such as oil. These grooves or recesses are preferably formed with walls 34. inclined outwardly and toward the axis of the rotor so that any of the compressed fluid seeking to escape between the extensions 2 and 3 and the bushings 4 and 5 will force the oil or other sealing medium in the grooves 33 along the'said inclined surfaces to a position to form an effective seal to prevent the escapement of the compressed fluid.

The outlet 16 is generally connected to a reservoir or other device in which there is a volume of the compressed fluid; and in order to prevent this compressed thud from rcturning to the space 14, I provide a valve 35. l preferably construct this valve as a thin plate which may be made of steel or The plate is desirably not attached or secured in position being mounted so that when the depressed fluid is forced through the outlct the valve lifts bodily. turning or lilting about one of 7 its edges. The valvc is normally hcld closcd by the back prcssurc of the compressed llnid which has bccn l'orccd through the oullct po 'l 21G past the valvc. in ordcr to insure thc tilting ol' the valve as slated. [he valve is mounted in an outlet passage which has projections 37 on both sidcs thereof, the lower surfaces 38 of these projcctions being lINllllCil. downwardly toward and engaging the valve at the edge about which it is designed tobe tilted. The said surfaces 38 also serve" means to limit the upward movement of the valve. The valve, as shown, fits compara tively closely in the outlet passage of the casing when in closed position; and in order to facilitate the flow of the compressed fluid past the valve when the latter is lifted from its seat, I have provided same with recesses 39 through which the fluid may pass, these recesses-being arranged in an edge portion of the valve at a point beyond the exhaust port 36 when the valve is closed.

\Vhile I have shown one embodiment of my invention it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in all of its. features to a pump or acompressor and that, furthermore, many modilications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The combination of a casing, a rotor therein comprising a body portion and a wing movable relatively thereto and engaging the interior of the casing and yielding means connecting said body portion and wing tending to move said wing away from the wall of said casing.

2. The combination of a casing, a rotor therein provided with a Wing engaging the interior of the casing and mo able transversely of the axis of rotation of the rotor, and spring means tending to counteract the effect of the centrifugal force upon the said wing during the rotation of the latter.

3. The combination of a casing, a rotor tl'ierein comprising a body portion and a wing movable into said body portion or outwardiy therefrom into engagement with. the interior of the casing, and means non mally holding said wing retracted in said body portion.

4.. The combination of a casing, a rotor therein comprising a body portion and wing mo 'ablc into said body portion or outwardly therefrom into engagement with the interior of the casing, and means normally holding said. wing retracted in said body portion, said means automatically permitting the movement of the wing into engage- .mcnt with the interior of the casing when the rotor has attained a predetermined wing movable into said body portion or outwar-d1 y therefrom into engagement with the interior oi the casing, and mean comprising a spring normally holding said wing retracted in said body portion, said means antomatically permitting the movement of the wing into engagement with the. interior of the casing when the rotor has attained a predetermined speed.

7. The combination with a casing, of a rotor therein provided with a movable member engaging an end wall of the casing and mounted for movement in a direction toward said wall at a greater rate at its outer than at its inner end.

8. The combination with a casing, of a rotor therein provided with a movable member engaging an end wall of the casing, ditt'erent portions of said member being movable toward said wall at rates proportional to their distances away from the axis of r0- tation of the rotor.

9. The combination with a casing, of a rotor therein provided with movable members engaging end walls of the casing, different portions of said members being movable toward said walls at rates proportional to their distances away from the axis of rotation of the rotor, said rotor being provided with means whereby said members are automatically held in engagement with the respective end walls.

10. In a fluid compressor, the combination with a casing, of a rotor therein provided with a wing engaging the Wall of the casing during the rotation of the rotor, said wing being acted upon by the compressed fluid in the easingto relieve the pressure of the wing against the said walL.

11. In afluid compressor, the combination with a easing, of a rotor therein provided with a wing engaging the wall of the' casing during the rotation of the rotor, said wing being reduced adjacent its outer end to provide a longitudinal surface adapted to engage said wall and a longitudinal surface adapted to be acted upon by the compressed fluid in the casing to relieve the pressure of the wing against said wall.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ALFRED E. HORMAN. 

